Laguna Blanca bounced back from a 2-4 record in pool play to win the silver division at its Boys Volleyball Classic at Bishop Diego on Saturday.
Beverly Hills captured the gold division, upsetting Saddleback Valley Christian, 25-17, 27-25. SVC came into the tournament as the No. 1-ranked team in CIF Division 5.
Beverly Hills went undefeated on the day, going 6-0 in pool play and beating Windward in the semifinals (27-25, 25-12).
Saddleback Valley Christian topped St.Joseph of Santa Maria (25-14, 25-23) in the other gold semifinal.
Laguna Blanca lost to SVC and St. Joseph in pool play, but the Owls regrouped and scored an impressive playoff win over Ontario Christian in three sets 18-25, 25-18, 15-8.
The Owls got off to a slow start against Santa Maria, dropping the first set 25-18. They stepped up their play for the rest of the match, winning 25-22, 15-7. Colton Johnson and Stephen McCaffery led the team’s attack from the outside, and the defense was sharp.
Windward (4-2 in pool play) and St. Joseph (5-1) tied for third place and Bishop Diego (4-2) and Carpinteria (4-2) tied for fifth. Bishop was knocked out by St. Joseph in the playoffs, while Carpinteria was ousted by Windward in three sets.
“It was nice to be able to compete in the playoffs,” Bishop coach Jason Donnelly said. “We showed a little heart.”
He praised the play of setter Troy Skinner and middles Will Busch and Jose Del Campo.
